I04 Allen's naturalist's library. 



Total length, 13 inches; wing, 6; tail, 3*5; tarsus, ry (Indian 

 specimens). Examples from Cyprus, Asia Minor, Persia, &c., 

 have larger dimensions ; wing, 6'9. 



Adult Female. — Differs chiefly from the male in having the 

 colour of the upper-parts browner ; the sides of the face buff, 

 dotted with black ; the throat white ; the chestnut collar con- 

 fined to the nape, and the under-parts whitish-buff, more or 

 less strongly-marked with V-shaped black bars. Total length, 

 12-6 inches; wing, 5*9; tail, 3*5; tarsus, i'6 (Indian specimens). 

 Examples from Cyprus, &c., larger ; wing, 6*6. 



Range. — From Cyprus, Palestine, and Asia Minor, through 

 Persia eastwards to Northern and Central India, to Assam 

 and southward to Manipur. Formerly found in Sicily, but 

 now apparently extinct. It also, no doubt, occurred in 

 Sardinia, Spain, and on the north-west coast of Africa, but 

 has long since been exterminated. 



Habits. — This handsome species, also known as the Black 

 Partridge, or Kala titur among Indian sportsmen, is still 

 numerous in many parts of Upper India, and affords most 

 excellent shooting, being either bagged from elephants with 

 a close line of beaters, or shot over dogs. 



Mr. Hume publishes the following notes on this species, sent 

 to him by Mr. O. Greig : " The Francolin is not a prolific 

 breeder. I hardly ever remember to have seen more than 

 three young ones in a brood. Probably, being a ground bird, 

 the young are killed by stoats, jackals, and other vermin, and 

 the mother is not of sufficient size to defend them. It seems 

 to have a second brood sometimes. 



" It remains entirely on the ground, as a rule, except the 

 cock when calling, when he will at times get on to a stump or 

 ant-hill ; but up the Touse Valley, and in the Rama Serai, in 

 Native Garhwal, I have seen them high up in chir-trees 

 {Pinus lo7igifolia). 



" From its breeding so slowly it is easily shot off, and I have 

 known a place almost cleared in one season. The Western 



